


Is this your card?

by carsandtelephones37



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff and Crack, Fortune Telling, Haechan tells fortunes in the park, Haechan: brilliant entreprenuer/ aspiring witch, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan Is The Sun, M/M, Mark Lee is a little shit, Mark: surprised pikachu face, Tarot, seriously how was that not a tag before
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-13
Updated: 2020-01-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:01:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22234474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carsandtelephones37/pseuds/carsandtelephones37
Summary: Mark Lee likes to go on walks between classes. Haechan likes to set up shop reading tarot cards on his lunch break. Inevitably, their paths cross. Will the cards be in their favor?
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Comments: 10
Kudos: 132





	1. Chapter 1

Mark didn’t believe in magic.

More specifically, he didn’t believe in Tarot cards. But there was a cute boy in the park almost every day around noon, sitting on the ground with a small folding table, selling tarot readings for cheap.

Mark would do his best to look straight ahead, keep himself from getting distracted, but he couldn’t help looking. The boy’s smile was blinding. He looked like the sun itself, just scruffier. Maybe if the sun was a teenage boy.

Besides, Mark took all of his lunch breaks walking, strolling through the park near his school. It gave him a chance to think and clear his head. He’d walk past the duck pond and sometimes stop to try and sketch the geese, he wasn’t a talented artist but he’d much rather try and capture their silly actions with his own cartoonish style. Other times he’d sit on a bench long enough to rapidly type lyric ideas into the notes on his phone before he forgot them. Something in the cold air made him want to be creative.

Today though, he hung back as a small crowd gathered around the boy with the Tarot cards. He watched over the shoulders of some high school girls he vaguely recognized. 

“Now, choose three cards please. Just pull them out a bit so I know which ones you’ve chosen,” The boy behind the table instructed, smoothly laying out the cards like a casino dealer.

The man kneeling in front of him tugged three cards from the deck. He’d taken his time, fingers hovering over different sections as though his choice might hold the secret to his life.

As the man sat back, Mark could more clearly read the small sign taped to the front of the table. In bubbly lettering, it read, ‘Haechan’s tarot reading. 100 Won per card’. Haechan must be the boy he’d been watching.

Haechan removed the cards the man had selected. He gathered the rest of the deck and set it aside, before one at a time, laying out the chosen cards face up.

“One, a four of wands, reversed.”

Haechan turned another card.

“Two, the Death card.”

A few of the girls in front of Mark gasped. He felt a little uneasy. Did this mean the man was going to die?

“Three, King of pentacles.”  
With that, Haechan sat back, staring at the man with piercing eyes.

“What do you think of these cards, Sungjae-ssi? How do you feel about them?”

The man called Sungjae shifted in his spot, rubbing his hands against his slacks as though they’d grown sweaty.

Haechen cracked a smile, “Sungjae-ssi, I’ll tell you what they don’t mean. They do not mean you’re going to die.”

He slid the four of wands forward slightly, “This card was upside down, which changes its meaning slightly. My guess is you’ve had some instabilities recently. You could be having trouble finding a permanent residence, or you’ve been changing jobs. Generally, things have been a little chaotic.”

Haechan moved his hand to hover over the dreaded Death card. He picked it up carefully, showing it to Sungjae, and then the crowd.

“This is a happy card in our case. It represents metamorphosis, things are going to change very soon for you.” At last, Sungjae seemed to relax a little. Mark felt confused. Wasn’t death supposed to be bad regardless? Even the little design on it with the skeleton and scythe looked grim.

Haechan nudged forward the final card, the king of pentacles.

“The king of any suit usually means that the result will be strong. This king represents security, stability, and abundance. It’s understandable that he would follow your previous choices. You have experienced unstable circumstances, but those will die out and transform into stability. Sungjae-ssi, it seems the cards are in your favor.”

The young man visibly breathed out a sigh of relief.

“Things have been hard lately, my boss keeps sending me to different stores to manage, I have an interview soon though which would mean I can finally settle down. Are you saying it will be successful?” Sungjae asked incredulously

Haechan leaned forward and grasped the man’s hand.

“What I’m saying is that things seem as if they will change soon, and likely for the better. Keep your eyes open Sungjae-ssi, you are young and possibilities for you are endless. I wish you luck.”

With that, the man finally stood up and brushed off his slacks. The small crowd cheered, clapping and wishing the man well. Mark realised he needed to head back to school and reluctantly walked away.

He knew deep down that the whole thing was totally ridiculous. It was just chance that the man had similar circumstances to what Haechan described. Mark shook his head. It was that poor fool’s choice to take what Haechan said seriously. At least he’d only lost three hundred won.

-

Three days later found Mark back to where he’d been; watching Haechan con the locals in exchange for fortune telling.

He watched skeptically, but it was entertaining to watch the stories Haechan would spin, and the inevitable connections people made between themselves and the cards. 

Just as Haechan was finishing a reading for a middle-aged woman, someone pushed to the front of the crowd. 

“Haechan-ssi! I’m sorry to interrupt,” It was the man from a few days prior, Sungjae.

The man was breathing hard, but he straightened up and began to speak, “Your cards were right, I have had some changes. I went to the interview for the new position, and I thought it had gone well but my boss gave the job to one of my seniors. I was so furious, I quit on the spot.”

Haechan looked wary at the proclamation, likely waiting for the man to blame him for his own rashness. Instead, the man continued.

“After I realized what I’d done, I started freaking out and realized I needed to find a replacement job immediately. I called all of my best connections, and one of them pulled through. I got a call back today and I’m going to be hired on with a new company! They’re offering this new position with good pay and incredible job security. I’m going to be okay, just like you said I would.” The man finished his story, grinning at Haechan.

Mark’s eyes widened. Had this man really made all these decisions based on a cheap fortune? And it worked? He leaned against a fence he was near. Maybe Haechan had some kind of real magic, other than his impossible charm.

There was only one way to find out.


	2. Chapter 2

Mark sat down criss-cross applesauce in front of Haechan’s table.

Haechan’s eyes gleamed. “I’ve seen you around this park pretty much every day, but I didn’t think you’d ever let me read cards for you.”

Mark shifted, “Well yeah, but..”

“But your curiosity got the best of you? Alright, since this is a celebration of trying new things, I’ll read three cards for you, no charge.”

Haechan smiled brightly at him. Mark blinked, still registering the fact that this was actually happening. 

“What’s your name, by the way? I’m assuming you know mine,” Haechan asked, and gestured to the small sign in front of him.

“Mark, my name is Mark Lee.”

“Well, Mark, let’s see what the cards say today.”

Haechan laid the cards out between them. Mark watched his hands and the way that he handled the cards so gently, like they were fragile, or alive.

Mark hesitantly held out his hand. Haechan nodded at him in encouragement. Mark ran his fingers over the top of the deck, imagining for a moment that they were warm.

He closed his eyes and tugged at a card in the middle of the deck. He repeated the process twice more, then snatched his hand back, a small feeling of fear biting at his nerves.

“They won’t bite,” Haechan laughed. He picked up the cards and Mark held his breath.

Haechan laid the first card down. “Knight of Swords.”

He set the second card down beside it, raising his eyebrows, “The Lovers.”

Finally he set the third card down with a smile, “Two of cups.”

Haechan looked up at Mark through his lashes, “What do you think? Any guesses?”

Mark felt something warm in his stomach. “Something to do with love, I think?”

“And you’d be correct. Let’s start with this one though, the Knight of Swords.” Haechan tapped the card twice with his index finger.

“The Knight of Swords represents impulsive action. You’ll make a rash decision, possibly against your better instincts.” Haechan explained, then walked his fingers over to the next card.

“The action will likely involve love in some way, the card also represents choice. Perhaps you’ll choose something in love that you never thought you would.” 

Finally, Haechan touched the last card and smiled broadly. “You drew the two of cups, it seems you’ll be rewarded. This means mutuality, reciprocated feelings. These are lucky cards, Mark.”

Mark let go of a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. When he first sat down, he was afraid that he’d draw something extremely unlucky, and then spend the next week terrified that maybe something bad would happen. He didn’t necessarily believe in what the cards said, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to shake a bad omen that easily.

At the same time, it gave him an idea. He’d be rewarded for impulsiveness..

“In that case, Haechan, would you like to get dinner sometime?” 

Haechan blinked, surprised at the sudden move. Then he smiled. Haechan grabbed Mark’s wrist in one hand, and a pen out of his pocket. He scribbled a phone number on Mark’s hand.

“I hope you’re decent at ‘palm reading’” Haechan said cheekily.

Mark smiled back, and stood up quickly.

“I’ve got to get to class,” he explained, “Thank you for reading. I hope it comes true.”

“I have a really good feeling about it,” Haechan promised.

Mark turned away and walked at a brisk pace back to his school. He shot a quick text to Haechan’s number before he could lose his sudden confidence. 

For once, he felt almost certain that fate had set the cards in his favor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how I feel about the ending, let me know if I should make this a series!!

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be a pretty short story, but I thought it might be fun! warning, I don't really know very much about tarot, so I'm sorry for any inaccuracies. I've always been curious but I don't own my own deck yet.


End file.
